THE AGO COLLECTION

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ABOUT THE COLLECTION

AGO’s collection of close to 95,000 works ranges from cutting-edge contemporary art such as Untilled (Liegender Frauenakt)by Pierre Huyghe to European masterpieces such as Peter Paul Rubens’s The Massacre of The Innocents; from the vast collection by the Group of Seven to works by established and emerging Indigenous Canadian artists; with a photography collection that tracks the impact of the medium with deep holdings of works by artists such as Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus; and with focused collections in Gothic boxwood miniatures and Western and Central African art.

Look:Forward

Look:Forward aims to build on the momentum started with the Transformation AGO project in 2008 by adding great art to all public spaces, ensuring that our best artwork is on display and celebrating a legacy of donor generosity.

The Contemporary collection includes painting, sculpture, immersive installation, works on paper, photography, performance, video and sound art from international artists since 1960 and Canadian artists since 1990.

The library’s 380,000+ volumes include Rare Books and Artists’ Books ranging from folios and art historical books from the 17th century to the present, illustrated books and magazines, travel guides, art sales catalogues, and artists’ books and multiples.

COLLECTION RESOURCES

The E.P. Taylor Library & Archives is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday. Access to the Archives and Special Collections is by appointment. Book collections are searchable through our online catalogue. Special collections holdings may be browsed online.

This state-of-the-art facility is open to the public and dedicated to the study of prints, drawings and photographs. It houses a collection of over 70,000 works which date from the 13th century to the present day. Find out more about the AGO's prints and drawings collection.

Find the image you need from the Art Gallery of Ontario, one of the most distinguished art museums in North America. AGO Images licenses to scholarly and commercial clients worldwide. Be inspired by Tom Thomson, James Tissot, Kennth Noland, Walter Trier and many more amazing artists.

Conservation is the care and protection of cultural objects. As the caretakers of collections, conservators examine, research, clean and repair artworks, while also taking action to prevent future deterioration. Here at the AGO, the Conservation Team includes conservators, mat makers, framers and mount makers. These specialists work together to ensure each work will look its best not only for today, but also for generations to come.

The AGO is committed to investigating the provenance of works in its permanent collection, particularly as it pertains the ownership history of European painting and sculpture during the 1933–45 period. The purpose of this is to increase awareness and understanding of the spoliation of works of art by the Nazis and others.

The Art Gallery of Ontario cares for its collections according to the highest standards. Its resources should only be devoted to works of art that serve its mission and are worthy of such care. This occasionally demands that works be judiciously and carefully deaccessioned from the collections. The proceeds from this are reinvested in new works of art.

Thanks to the important contribution of this country's heritage institutions, the Artefacts Canada database contains close to 4 million object records and approximately 800,000 images from Canadian museums.

Art Gallery of Ontario

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All images reproduced on this site are provided free of charge for research and/or private study purposes only. Any other use, distribution or reproduction thereof without the express permission of the copyright holder, is subject to limitations imposed by law. Any commercial exploitation of the images is strictly prohibited.